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John Cletheroe's
USA and Canada Holiday Hints |
Washington State Highway 20 crosses the entire northern part of the state.
It begins in the remote northeast, and heads through dry pine forests interspersed with low mountain ranges and cattle ranches. It crosses the Columbia River and heads over Sherman Pass, the highest pass in Washington. Several towns along the way, such as Republic and Okanagan, are essentially the same frontier outposts that they were one hundred years ago.
Beyond Twisp, the road becomes known as the North Cascades Highway. Highway 20 approaches the Cascade Mountains via the Methow Valley, a beautiful region which is in the process of becoming a destination ski resort, and then crosses up and over Washington Pass and Rainy Pass. To the north and south are the two sections of North Cascades National Park, with scenery to rival the Rocky Mountains.
The road drops down into the rainy Skagit valley, and comes out onto the coastal flats at Burlington.
The Skagit delta is a tulip farming area. In June it is hopelessly jammed up with tour buses full of Americans and Japanese taking pictures of the flowers. (Europeans don't come because they have Holland.) Highway 20 continues to Deception Pass State Park, traverses the very pleasant Whidbey Island, crosses Puget Sound via ferry, and ends in Port Townsend, an old port with a large number of perfectly preserved Victorian mansions. From there it is a short drive to US 101 and Olympic National Park.
Highway 20 over the Cascades is closed in winter, usually until June. The northeast mountains can have tricky weather as well, and the Skagit valley suffers rain from November to March. The best time to do this trip is just after the passes open, but it's a good idea to call the highway department about road conditions and bring chains in case of sudden snow.
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Most recently modified 15-Jun-03